This Is Personal
by Gandalf3213
Summary: Johnny's still weak from the warehouse with Doom. After rescuing people from a fire, his symptoms return, only they're much worse. Can the team find the cure in time? A sequel to my other fic.
1. In Sickness and in Health

**I own Fantastic Four. Not.**

_So many people asked me for a sequel, that I figured I'd do it. Oh, and people, loved all your reviews. Please keep 'em coming._

Ben Grimm was worried about the youngest member of the team, and he couldn't even bother trying to hide it. His biggest fear was that there would be a crisis-a falling bridge, maybe-that Johnny Storm would insist on going to help. And nobody would be able to stop him. That was one thing Ben really liked about the kid, he'd never give up on something once he set his mind to do it.

Right now, his mind was set on recuperating, but that wasn't as easy as one might think. First of all, he had all the symptoms of fierce pneumonia, coughing the guts out and all. Ben understood why. Johnny was a being of fire, both with his powers and with his spirit. Put him in a freezing room, and you could only be happy that he wasn't dead.

There was also the stressed bones. He had been put under electricity at least three times, and this process left even the genetically mutated bones the worse for ware.

The worst part was that Johnny's immune system seemed to have been compromised. Usually, pneumonia, even severe cases, wore off in a week or two. They were now pushing three and a half weeks.

For the first week, Johnny's fever refused to break. His normal temperature was around 205° F. At the worst of the fever, he had been pushing almost 270, which had the terrifying consequence of not only delirious nightmares where the poor kid still thought he was being tortured by the sick "doctor", but also meant that his body heat burned through every bed in the house.

But even though the fever had broken and his temperature, though still high, was somewhere _near_ normal, all the symptoms refused to leave. Add that with the fact that Johnny could barely stand up _and_ all the tiredness, and you've got one pretty messed up kid.

This was taking its toll on everyone. Reed and Susan, newlyweds, were worried sick about Johnny. The honeymoon had been postponed and Reed spent most of his time in his lab, Susan right next to him.

Ben spent most of his time with Johnny, trying to cheer the kid up. He always wanted to cry when he saw Johnny, because despite being sore every time he moved and having to almost starve to death because he couldn't stop coughing long enough to eat, Johnny was still optimistic. Still a kid.

And Johnny was still able to kick Ben's ass in _Madden '06_.

At the end of the fourth week, Ben's worst fear came true. There was a fire in an apartment building, with at least ten people trapped inside.

Johnny insisted on going, managing to keep the coughing under control long enough to argue with his sister, saying that his specialty was fire, so who better to put one out?

They reluctantly agreed to let him come. And that's where the battle for Johnny's life began. Again.

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Okay, you asked for it, now please review, 'kay? 


	2. Burned

**Don't own it.**

Johnny Storm made his way through the burning building, fighting the urge to cough every two minutes. He didn't want Ben, who was next to him, or his sister, who was with Reed trying to put out the fire, to think he wasn't able to do his job just because of a cold.

"Move it, Kid!"

Johnny's legs were jerked out from under him as the huge rock form of Ben Grimm fell on him. Johnny knew that Ben wasn't trying to hurt him, but usually, he preferred that his ribs weren't broken, especially since his lungs seemed so vulnerable lately.

Ben let Johnny up, and he saw just what his friend was saving him from. A huge wooden beam had fallen right where Johnny had been standing moments before. It made him realize just how close he had been to being flambéd.

"You okay, Johnny?" Ben's deep voice broke through to Johnny and the younger man nodded and followed his comrade quickly up the wooden stairs, which were already on fire.

Running down the flaming hallway, Johnny was glad that his body was heat-resistant (but why not cold resistant, huh?) and that Ben's rock form made it virtually impossible for him to get burned. But Susan and Reed were going to have a couple of nasty burns after this little adventure.

There were two doors at the end of the hallway. Johnny knew that only one of them would have the missing child. The only person who hadn't left the building when it had gone up in flames. "You go that way!" Johnny yelled, pointing to a burning door to their right. "I'll take this one!"

Ben took one look at the door and frowned. He grabbed Johnny's arm to get his attention. "I need to get out of here, Kid." He said. "The building's going to collapse any second, and I'll break into about ten pieces if I fall from this high." He really didn't want to leave Johnny alone, but he needed to get out, scat. Otherwise, he might bring the building down sooner.

Johnny looked at the two doors. "Eenny, meenie, miney, moe!" he pointed to the door on his right. Two seconds later, he was through it, flames licking at his exposed skin.

A small yell came from the other side of the room. Johnny pried open a closet door to find a tiny African-American boy crouching there, huddled underneath a blanket. Johnny scooped the kids in his arms and went over the window. There was only one way out with a person whose skin didn't repel flames. He through the boy out the window, knowing that the net waiting at the bottom would catch him.

Johnny curled on the floor in a fit of coughing. The smoke was getting to him-he couldn't breathe...

A second later, the floor collapsed.

Susan Storm watched in dismay as the building started to tumble. She was glad that Ben or the boy weren't inside it. She looked expectantly upwards, waiting for her brother to fly out of the wreckage.

He didn't.

Susan gave Reed an anxious look before gazing back at the sky. "Come on, Johnny!" She whispered to herself. Next to her, Ben had already plunged into the burning rubble, shouting out Johnny's name. A few minutes later he stopped and pushed a couple of beams away from a figure.

Susan Storm's brother laid in the middle on the wreckage. Susan started to cry and Reed held her, also crying. Johnny had started to cough violently. He was suffering from his sickness and smoke inhalation.

But he was alive, and that's all that mattered.

* * *

Did you think he was dead? Be honest!

Hey, anyone know what they call black kids in Europe? 'Cause they aren't African-**American** anymore.

Oh, and review!


	3. Letters

**I own it not**

Johnny wouldn't let the paramedics come anywhere near him, looking at them with a caged, primal expression. He looked up at Ben, begging him with his eyes to make the chest-racking coughs stop. He knew that Ben would help him.

Ben tore one of the oxygen tanks away from one of the harried paramedics. He knelt down beside his friend, putting the mask over his face. He smoothed back the young man's hair, watching as tears, the body's automatic fire-prevention system, dropped down his cheeks. Eventually the coughs stopped and Johnny's exhausted body became limp and still.

Lifting him up as gently as he could, Ben brought Johnny back to Reed and Susan, who were waiting just outside the range of the rubble. Reed hadn't let Susan go any further; for fear that she might become hysterical. "Let's go home." Ben's gravely voice was low and menacing. He was beating himself up for allowing Johnny to come in the first place.

Back at the lab, Reed placed an unconscious Johnny on the metal table where he had lain far too often in the past weeks. He frowned as he read the scale that showed to one side of the bed.

"He's too light. But we'll worry about that later." Reed gently pulled away the torn remains of Johnny's suit, frowning at the bruises and cuts. He felt the young man's arms and legs for fractures, furrowing his brow when he found a couple.

Ben stood to one side, having taken over the job of comforting Susan, who was naturally upset at seeing her brother in such a horrible state. He looked Susan over, and then looked over at his partner.

Both had cuts and bruises all over their bodies. Their eyes were sunken and dull. Trying to save Johnny was taking their toll.

Finally, _finally_, Johnny opened his eyes, wincing from the pain that seemed to encase him. He had become used to pain, to a point where only the worst imaginable would make him really "lose it". He looked over at Ben and gave him a smile. Johnny remembered who had pulled him out of the rubble.

Ben smiled back, laying one of his huge hands on Johnny's shoulder, careful not to put to much pressure on it.

Reed asked Johnny a few questions, trying to sooth him as he moved his fractured wrist to a position where he could try to heal it. Johnny bit his lip, determined not to cry out and hoping that he wouldn't cough.

Susan, getting more control, left the lab. She went into the kitchen and started making a cake. Just doing something with her hands made her feel _so_ much better. She knew that "her boys" would take good care of Johnny.

The next day, a letter was delivered to the Fantastic Four's residence. It was addressed to Mr. Torch using a blue crayon. Johnny, who was on the couch (again) opened it. Inside he found a card. On the outside was a burning building. He flipped it open.

_Mr. Torch, _(it read)

_Thank you for saving me from the fire. I was really scared but you made it better. Then I was scared when you didn't come out. But your friend made you better. Thank you for getting me back to my mommy and daddy. I hope you're not hurt._

_Avery Kline_

Johnny smiled when he read it. The entire thing was written in red crayon. On the back was a picture of a person (at least, Johnny _thought_ it was a person) hugging two bigger person-looking things. Johnny laughed, feeling the laugh sting his throat. He laughed long and loud, drawing the entire team around him.

He refused to say what he was laughing about.

**Reviews are nice.**


	4. Friends

**I own nothing**

Ben walked into the lab his huge feet echoing off the tile. He tapped Reed on the shoulder, causing the man to jump and spin around so fast that the chair slipped out from under him. "Ben…oh. What are you doing? Is Johnny alright?"

Ben nodded, his eyebrows creasing into a frown as he thought about Johnny. All of Johnny's symptoms had returned ―the high fever, the sweating, the coughs. Except now he had to endure them with a broken wrist and a couple broken ribs. Just looking at Johnny was almost more then he could take.

"Yeah, the Kid's just sleeping. Any luck on finding a cure?" he had never been one for beating round the bush.

Reed shuffled a couple of papers which all contained huge complex equations. He stopped on one, which had a diagram on it. "I think so." He handed to paper to Ben.

Ben looked at it, the years of living and working with Reed enabling him to decipher what few other people in the world could. "So we have to make The Machine again?"

"Yes and no." Reed was obviously excited. "It will be like the machine that turned you back into the regular you; only this one will be powered by fire."

Ben's eyes widened in sudden realization. "No way. I've spent time with Johnny, Reed. And he's putting up a great fight and everything, but he won't be able to supernova in the condition that he's in."

"Of course he won't." Susan walked into the lab, coming to a stop in front of Ben. "It'll take weeks to make the machine, he should be able to be well enough by then."

Ben was surprised. Susan had always come off as the overprotective mother sort of person, not one likely to let her little brother undertake such a dangerous operation.

"I just want my brother to be okay. This is the only way."

Ben looked back and forth between Reed and Susan, unbelieving. Finally, he gave up. "Just tell me if you need any help," he strode out of the room, wanting to walk in off.

Just as he was about to leave the huge apartment, a weak sound called him back. A thin scream hung in the air, making Ben turn around and rush back into the living room because he recognized the scream.

It was exactly the same sound that he had heard a month ago. He had hoped he would never hear that sound again. Johnny was delusional once again. He was imagining he was back in Doom's horrible torture chamber.

There was nothing he could do to help his friend.

**Hey, review!**


	5. Remedies

**I own it not.**

Johnny was in a huge room. There were no windows and only one barred door. His entire body was aching. The room was vaguely familiar.

There was a screen on one wall. A man was on the screen, talking to him in a low, soothing voice. He knew that the man was Reed, but he couldn't open his mouth to talk. It took all his self-control to keep the screams from coming out of his mouth.

His entire body was on fire. He wanted to just die, if dying would bring release from the pain. He wanted it to end…

"I'm here, Johnny!"

He was being lifted up, and the room was slowly dissolving to be replaced with the worried rock-like face of Ben. Johnny's sister and Reed hovered behind him, anxiety evident on both their faces. But the pain stayed.

"Ben!" Johnny clawed at Ben's body, his back arching in pain as he let out a low hiss. His insides were on fire…his lungs were burning…he couldn't breathe.

Amazingly, Ben didn't drop Johnny's writing, squirming mass. Instead, he held hi friend closer, cradling him like a baby. He made sure not to drop the blanket, even though Johnny was hot…so hot. They needed the fever to break.

Susan smoothed back her brother's hair, surprised and hurt when her brother flinched away from her, his fingers curling around Ben's neck.

Reed shook his head and walked away, mumbling sets of numbers and strings of words. His back to Johnny, he coulnd't see the hurt look on the younger man's face when his sister ran after him.

Ben still held Johnny on a tight imbrace, waiting for him to fully come back from the nightmare. Eventually, his breathing slowed and his chest stopped heaving. Every once in a while a hiccup would escape his lips. His body was still shaking when Ben placed him down on the cold tile of the bathroom.

He turned on the shower so that it was hot enough to produce steam. Ben shut the door and sat down next to Johnny, hoping that the old remedy would work. According to his mother, years and years ago, steam would help Johnny's breathing and eventually break the fever.

So all there was to do was wait.

**Review?**


	6. Breathe

**I own it not**

Susan Storm brushed the lock of hair impatiently out of her face, her eyebrows furrowed as she gazed at the schematics. If they were wrong in only one of the calculations…

_No, _Susan told herself forcefully. _Don't even think about that!_

But it wasn't like she hadn't thought about it. Johnny was the only family member she had left, and he meant so much to her. After her parents had died when she was seventeen, she had been forced to take care of her younger brother or else be separated from in by the foster care system. Johnny had been he one who had broken Reed's nose when he broke up with her, and he'd also played dad at her wedding.

Of course, he had nearly fainted after he walked down the aisle. He had been sick…so, so sick. And now he was sicker, if that was even possible. He was sleeping now, and Ben was watching him.

Her expression cleared slightly at the thought of the big rock-man with an even bigger heart. He had Johnny had definitely started out on the wrong foot, Johnny still acting like a joking teenager when Ben had wanted him to act like an adult. But Ben, after Susan, probably cared about Johnny the most.

"Holy…!"

Susan spun around just in time to see her husband engulfed in a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, he was coughing, black from head to toe, and scowling. "I almost had it!" he yelled at nobody.

Susan shook her head. Reed's problem was that he cared too much. He was making mistakes.

Reed had never liked or disliked Johnny, looking upon him instead as slightly less capable then a wrench, and about as dispensable. When Johnny had been kidnapped by Doom, Susan never figured out whether it was his love for her, his hatred of Doom, or a mixture of both that made him decide to post-pone the wedding to kidnap "The Kid."

Yet they were all helping. In there own little ways that added up to so much, they were helping her piece her life back together. On the entire planet, she guessed that she had never loved any other person as much as she loved the three men in the building at this moment.

A slam of a door made Susan look up. Ben Grimm was running towards her, a limp form in his hand. "He's not breathing!"

The three words made her own heart stop. Not breathing. Johnny wasn't breathing.

She acted on pure instinct. As soon as Johnny was on the floor she gave him mouth-to-mouth resurrection hoping ― praying ― that he would breathe again.

"I was sitting there," Ben was saying slowly, as if trying to remember it all. "And reading, listing to the Kid breathe. Then he just stopped, like he forgot how to do it. He was already asleep. I was afraid to help him myself, I might of crushed his lungs.

Susan was crying. "Why won't he wake up!" she screamed hysterically. "Johnny, wake up! _Johnny!"_

**_Review?_**


	7. Ready or Not

**I own nothing**

Johnny wasn't complaining.

He probably had a right to complain, but that wouldn't solve anything. For now, he was content to sit on the couch and play video games, listening to Ben's updates on the enormous machine that was supposed to make him better. If it ever works.

Johnny liked having Ben close to him. As huge rock-guy, he was the closest thing to a "sure thing" that Johnny was likely to get. Mostly, he was behaving like an older brother towards Johnny, even though he was almost twice his age. It was the first time the two had been civil since the "Fantastic Four" had formed.

Ben looked after Johnny for another reason. If the kids started having a fit, like he thought he was back in Doom's torture chamber, Ben brought him back to reality.

The days melted together, and if the team got a call for an emergency, they'd pass it along to another agency. Johnny came first. Always.

So October turned into November, and Johnny still hadn't changed. He was still coughing his lungs out, still could barely stand up, still was way too hot. He was a mess, but he didn't complain. It wouldn't solve anyone's problems.

Then things started to pick up.

"Ben, it's ready for testing."

Ben didn't even stop to look at Reed Richards. He breezed right past him. "Didn't you hear me Ben? The machine's a go!" Reed didn't get why Ben wasn't excited.

"Who're you going ot test it on?"

_Whht kind of stupid question is that?_ Reed asked himself. "Johnny, of course. The machine was made for him." If it wasn't, Reed didn't know what he was doing.

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Back to the drawing board. But's it's going to work, I know it is." It'd better, if he'd been working on it for over a month.

Ben finally stopped walking away. "Will it hurt Johnny?"

Reed honestly didn't know. He remained silent until, "Do you really think I'd hurt him, Ben?"

Ben made a deep noise that indicated what he thout of what Reed was doing. "It'd better work."

"It's gonna." _I hope._

**Sorry, but I needed the dialouge. Next chapter's the test, so it'll be way longer. Review!**


	8. Supernova or Suicide?

**I own it not**

Johnny could barely stand for ten minutes before falling flat on his face and Reed wanted him to supernova. He hadn't even tried to flame on since Doom. He did occasionally catch things on fire, but that wasn't intentional.

And Reed wanted him to supernova?

He tried. His entire body was on fire, and it actually felt _good._ Like greeting an old friend. Because the fire _talked _to Johnny. It whispered about its history, where it came from, how strong it was. The fire on his body was talking to him now, but the words weren't helpful.

Johnny could tell by Reed's pleased expression that things were under control. As soon as they weren't under control, Ben would pull the plug.

"One thousand degrees!" Susan called, watching the computer printout.

Johnny was still going, but it was becoming harder. A dull ache started in his chest, like he'd been sucker-punched by a teenager.

"One thousand five hundred!"

It was hard to breathe. Johnny's breaths were coming out as short, painful gasps. His lungs seemed to be engulfed in the same fire that surrounded the rest of his body.

Susan kept spitting out numbers. Johnny didn't really hear her, he wanted this to end. For the test to be over.

Only one thing kept him going, the thought that if the test worked, everything would be back to normal, and he'd kick Doom's ass from here to Iceland.

Ben watched Johnny from the other side of the glass. He could see the young man's face start to twist in pain. This test was hurting him badly. Ben wanted to call the whole thing off, wait another week.

But what if things got worse in a week?

So Ben said nothing. If the Kid thought he couldn't take it, he'd say so.

Right?

The temperature was high. Supernova wasn't far off, now.

The glass box was suddenly filled with a dazzling white light so bright that Ben closed his eyes tight. Even through the lids he could see the light intensify to a point where Ben thought it could go no brighter.

Then it cut out, and all the power in Manhattan went with it.

And lying on the floor in the container, face down was Johnny Storm, his clothes burned, his skin, pale, his body covered in sweat.

And Ben couldn't be sure, but he thought there was a smile on the young man's face.

**Yeah, so...Review?**


	9. The End?

**I own it not**

So the machine worked. Johnny was finally getting better after three months of nothing but sickness.

But things weren't back to normal. Nothing would ever be "normal" again.

For one, Johnny's immune system was forever compromised. From that point on he could get what other people called the Common Cold and his body would turn it into a life-threatening case of pneumonia. He was also more likely to break a limb just by putting an arm out to catch himself.

Ben was always looking out for "the Kid", taking on an attitude that was big-brotherly to the point of over-protectiveness. They still jabbed at each other, and enjoyed having what Susan liked to call "macho-man contests", but they knew exactly how far to push it.

Susan, after the initial disappointment of seeing her little brother be looked after by someone else for the first time in twenty years, finally hunkered down and went on a real honeymoon with Reed. They went to the Florida Keys, then to Rome. A month long, much-needed vacation for the both of them.

Dr. Doom watched all this, smiling to himself. He had taken the first step in his three step plan-Weaken, Divide, Conquer. All he had to do now was wait for the next time to strike. Because this was not over. Not by a long shot.

**But this story is. So review, 'cause this is the last chapter.**


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